Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz took out a full-page ad in The New York Times to announce a very controversial new effort

It's pretty standard to engage in conversation about the weather
or the coming weekend with a barista as he or she makes your
grande nonfat latte in the morning. But now Starbucks CEO Howard
Schultz wants to move the discussion in a different direction.

This week, Schultz wants Starbucks baristas to start talking
about race relations with customers, rejecting the idea that race
is "too hot a topic" for a business to take on.

Fortune reports
that the coffee empire took out a full-page ad in the Sunday
New York Times. "A stark, black, page with a tiny
caption 'Shall We Overcome?' in the middle, and the words
'RaceTogether' with the company logo, on the bottom right,"
Fortune describes.

Beginning on Monday [March 16], Starbucks baristas will
have the option as they serve customers to hand cups on which
they've handwritten the words "Race Together" and start a
discussion about race. This Friday, each copy
of USA Today — which has a
daily print circulation of almost 2 million and is a partner of
Starbucks in this initiative — will have the first of a series of
insert with information about race relations, including a variety
of perspectives on race. Starbucks coffee shops will also stock
the insert.

Baristas are not obligated to discuss race with any
customer and can opt out of the company's movement. But each cup
will have "Race Together" written on it regardless.

The hashtag #racetogether has 549 posts on Instagram. Most
of them are of coffee cups.

on

This barista seems to be on board. She captioned her Instagram
photo: "Writing this
on almost every cup in drive thru this morning. Spreading
awareness is the first step towards racial
equality. #racetogether#tobeapartner#starbucks#belairplaza"

on

Some Twitter users aren't so sure about the idea:

Personally, when I go to Starbucks I think, "this coffee is okay, but I could really go for a conversation on race right now." Don't you?